The Reason
by iamqueenregina
Summary: Outlaw Queen. AU. The Evil Queen meets a Thief long before she casts the curse. What if, they fell in love? What if, he broke her heart? And what if, she never noticed the lion etched in to his skin? Rated M for later chapters. Multi-Chapter Fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So the basic idea for this is that no, Regina didn't go in to meet the man with the lion tattoo, but she will meet him before she casts the curse, as the Evil Queen. I wanted to try something hopefully a little new, I know I'm rping this but I wanted to try fic-ing it. This will be a slow building story, they won't fall in love immediately and no, Regina won't notice the tattoo for quite some time. It will flick between The Enchanted Forest, Storybrooke and Neverland. I just wanted to let you all know that so you can decide whether it's worth reading or not. No big deal if it isn't, but I figured I'd save you wasting time. The title of the story is the title of Hoobastank's 'The Reason', which gives me Outlaw Queen feels every damn time I listen to it. I will be posting updates on my Tumblr account: regalcharming, and I will try and update every three days, if not then, at least every week. Feel free to message me there if it's been longer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything nor anyone in this story unless written in an A/N. **

It was an unnerving silence that had settled upon The Enchanted Forest. A silence they were all quite used too, and a silence that quite scared them. The Evil Queen was near, riding with her guards along the trail built just for her. Villagers cowered in fear, running for the safety they thought their homes would provide. As if wood would stop the Queen from what she sought.

Perched on her steed, the Queen tilted her head and watched as man, woman and child bowed before her, their eyes lowered for fear they would meet her own. Emotionless, she rode forward, digging her heels in to Rocinante's side and urging him to canter, her guards picking up pace in an attempt at keeping by her side. None of them would. She didn't need to see the children's faces as she rode past, she didn't need to see the terror filling their eyes. They were afraid of her, but only one needed to be terrified.

Forest trees blended together in colour as she rode, faster and faster, her company falling behind. The Queen didn't care. She had her magic, she could take care of herself. Her grip tightened on the reigns in her hands, pulling gently but firmly, Rocinante slowing to a slow trot as she caught her breath. She may not have been the one running, but she certainly felt like it. Rubbing circles along her horse's neck, she allowed a moment - just a moment - for the Queen to disappear. Her eyes closed as a bird sang, wind blew against her face in a gently whisper, and the sound of a nearby creek met her ears. The Queen was gone, and the silence broke. She breathed heavily, the sounds of cantering hooves becoming louder and louder, until the first black armoured guard turned the corner, soil flying from his horse's feet. Straightening her back, the Queen returned and the noise disappeared, as if sensing the darkness plaguing her had once again taken home in her heart. A momentary slip. One the Queen would not allow again.

She tilted her head in acknowledgement, ignoring Berkley's words. '_We cannot protect you my Queen, if you continue to run_'. She didn't need their protection, and running was all she knew now. Inclining her head in understanding, she flicked her reigns and Rocinante walked forward, both she and her guards missing the figure slipping between the shadows of one tree to another.

**XX**

He had studied her. For weeks now, he had watched her comings and goings, just to learn what her routine was. And he had discovered - The Queen didn't have a routine. No. She did what she liked, when she liked, where she liked, _how_ she liked. There was no pre-planning this. Raiding the Queen's Company would be the ultimate test for he and his men. Surely she would have something on her person, something that could help the people she had neglected in her rulership. Nodding his head to Little John, the Thief slipped through the forest, trailing behind the Queen and her guards. He had seen her moment, a single slip in the Queen's mask and when it had been the most opportune moment, he had hesitated. A hesitation he would not let occur again.

He watched silently, hood lifted over his head, shadowing his eyes from any possible recognition. The Queen may not know who he was, but her soldiers may. Raising his bow in his hand, he knocked an arrow against the string and crouched, the tip aimed at a tree the Queen would pass by. For today, he was the distraction, his men were the thieves. Ordinarily, it would be the opposite. But the Queen was not one to be trifled with, and if anyone were to be caught, the Thief would prefer it be him. Drawing the arrow back, he narrowed one eye and focused all his attention on the tree, waiting. If he hit the Queen, no doubt the Forest would rejoice. But he was no murderer. That was her, not him.

He caught the barest glimpse of a horses head when he released the arrow, the deadly weapon slicing the air as it thudded in to the tree, narrowly missing the Queen's own head. She reared back, her horse neighing loudly, startled. Her chest heaved with minor shock, breathing laboured as she turned her head sharply, seeking out her assailant. Men ran forward, horses galloping passed her as they chased the figure, his identity protected by a hood. As half her guard left in chase, the other half called out in warning, common men advancing on them. In her haste, the Queen sat frozen, her hand lifted to her cheek where she could still feel the air whip across it, the arrow only barely managing to miss her skin. Her dark eyes lifted, flicking between the men now being pushed back by her guards, and the distant image of a man running from horses carrying black amour.

Decisions.

They were always rather easy for her.

Whipping her reigns, Rocinante shot forward in to a canter, running forward and leaping over a fallen tree as she rode to catch up with her pursuing soldiers. She saw one jump from his horse, tackling the man to the ground and pressing the figures wrists in to his own back. Another slid from his steed, lifting the bow and snapping it before his very eyes while a third moved to raise his sword. No. That simply wouldn't do.

Lifting her hand as she turned Rocinante to the side, the horse stumbling slightly, she flicked her wrist and the sword disappeared in a cloud of purply smoke. The Queen's chin lifted slightly, her dark eyes falling on the man lying on the ground, a guard's knee pressing in to his back. The Thief stared back, meeting her eyes like none had dared to before. Narrowing her own, she slid from Rocinante's back, one leg rising over the horses rump as she fell to the ground, her coat tails knocking against the back of her thighs. Striding forward, she bent at the waist and gripped the man's chin between her thumb and forefinger. A small, predatory smirk graced her lips as her eyes flicked over his face, taking in the clear defiance glinting in his eyes. "No." She drawled, her voice a bare husk as her guards straightened, preparing for an order they knew would be coming. "Shackle him. He's to come with us."

Dropping the man's chin rather roughly, the Queen turned on her heel and hauled herself back up on to her steed, Rocinante's shifting forward slightly as Berkley pulled the man to his feet, holding his arms against his back and digging his own palms into the base of his spine forcefully. Raising her eyebrow, the Queen released a breathy laugh, pulling tightly on her reigns as heavy shackles locked his arms behind him. Turning, the Queen and her horse walked away purposely as the man was thrown over a horse, a guard climbing up behind him. "Be glad we don't drag you behind us." He growled in to the Thief's ear, as their horse in turn moved to follow the Queen. "Robin Hood."

**A/N: Probably a rather short chapter, but I needed to get this going and this was the best possible way. Consider it a prelude of sorts. R&R if you want to, I'm not going to press for reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, I totally didn't keep my promise of updating every week. I apologize, there were reasons for the first few, but then I simply didn't have the ability to write and put it off. But I hope I make up for it, if not with this chapter than at least the next few. Keep in mind, THIS IS NOT A LINEAR STORY. Obviously, it's going to slip between the past and the present and the future. Hopefully you can keep up.**

Not everything can be reasoned with magic. Most things can be dealt with it, but not reasoned. They wondered what had made her how she was, what could have possibly caused her such evil? She always blamed the magic. Her, magic. But she lied. Was that any surprise? She wasn't particularly known for her truthfulness. She lied and schemed and manipulated - anything to get what she wants. That was a code she lived by, a rule she built her world around. Never get too close. And being honest - being honest was getting too close.

She stared at her reflection, intently watching her own eyes stare back at her. Dark orbs riddled with secrets. And secrets, Regina had quite a lot of those. Inhaling deeply, she parted her lips as she released her breath, shaky and somewhat stuttered. It didn't matter. No one was there to witness it anyway.

No one was ever there.

Henry had yet to return home. And this _was_ his home. He had continued to sleep at that god awful apartment, cramped in with three other people, without a room of his own. Without his _own_ room. Glancing over her shoulder, towards the door leading to the hall leading to Henry's room, Regina bit the inside of her cheek. Did he miss anything? His pillow, his toys, his books - her? Shaking her head, she stood from her vanity and padded towards her wardrobe, the silk of her robe barely brushing the back of her thighs as the material whipped in the air. Regina paid little attention to her state of undress. There was no one there for her to cover up for, and Regina was hardly modest. If Henry were home, she would be dressed differently. Since he's not - why bother?

Pulling the doors open, she blinked as a sunlit glint caught her eye, a flash of silver invading her vision and blinding her momentarily. Blinking away the sudden disorientation, she glanced to her wrist and frowned in confusion.

Nothing was there.

Pursing her lips, Regina glanced over her shoulder for some sign of attack, of an invader. She wouldn't be surprised if they attempted to mob her in her own bedroom. The townspeople of Storybrooke, Maine were, just as she was, rather adept at holding a grudge. Quirking her shoulder slightly, a shrug to herself than to someone else, she turned her back and stepped in to her wardrobe, fingers brushing against clothes hung on hangers in coordinated lines.

She always took extra long on the weekends to prep herself for the day. It wasn't so much that she didn't have the time _during_ the week, she did. Especially now that she didn't need to worry about waking Henry in time, getting him ready for school, or dropping him off in the mornings. Did that make her a bad - or should she say worse? - person for enjoying the momentary peace not having Henry with her offered? Did that make her a bad mother?

She missed him. Truly, she did. As she dressed, pulling the zipper of her dress up her back and smoothing out any wrinkles she thought she saw, she couldn't help but wonder. Would he come back?

Regina was used to being alone. It had been that way for a very long time. But then she adopted Henry, and she wasn't alone anymore. She had someone to care for, and someone who cared for her. At least for a short while. Sighing, The Mayor - was she still the Mayor? - glanced at her reflection, worrying her lower lip between her teeth before she shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Slipping through her wardrobe doors, she gently closed them behind her back, a pair of heels dangling in her hands. Did she even check to see which ones she had chosen? Gaze flicking down to the shoes in her hand, she pursed her lips and conceded. At least they matched her dress.

Dropping the patterned pumps on the bed, she turned her back and sat, falling back on to the mattress with her eyes closing. She could take a few minutes, couldn't she? Just - to think. To breathe.

**XX**

There was something comforting about the stares. Despite the hostility that accompanied them, stares were something Regina could cope with. Stares were something Regina was used to.

Still, the hush that fell over the diner as she pushed open the door was, admittedly, a little unnerving. Her chin lifting as her straightened her stance, Regina pursed her lips and ignored the sudden silence that seemed to follow her wherever she went. That would be her curse now.

Gaze flicking around her, she paused momentarily as she caught sight of Henry. His eyes, meeting her own for barely a second, dropped to his lap. Burying the hurt that welled up in her chest, she shook her head and strode forward, moving to the counter only to be blocked by Ruby, the she-wolf's eyes boring in to her own. "You're not welcome here."

She should have expected that. In truth, she kind of did. But that didn't hide the surprise that seemed to flash in her eyes. Ruby was either very brave, or very stupid. Tilting her head slightly, she pondered what action she should take, whether she should let the comment slide and just walk away, or whether she should antagonise the girl further. Henry was watching, and if she had an inclination of winning his favour back, the first option would be in her best interests. Her lips parted, curved in to slight smirk as she prepared to simply snipe at the younger girl and take her leave, but the woman's grandmother interrupted her. "She's a paying customer Ruby. And I don't feel like cleaning you from the walls because you've pissed her off."

Ah, Granny Lucas. Perhaps the only resident Regina didn't hate. If anything, a begrudging respect was all she felt for the older woman. Smirk still in place, she flicked her gaze from Ruby to Granny and back, raising her eyebrow as she waited for the younger girl to step out of her way. She could make her, she could step around, but it was always much more fun to watch and wait. They stared at each other, eyes boring in to the other's as they sized each other up. The silence around them seemed to tense, as if waiting for something to make either woman snap. And Regina near laughed.

"How did you get like this?"

If she hadn't been so close to her, if Regina hadn't been waiting for the wolf to say something in jest or hate, she never would have heard the whispered words Ruby spoke. Blinking in shock, she stared at Ruby who, realising her whispered words had been heard, simply scowled. Turning on her heel, she moved to Henry's side, exchanging a glance with Emma, but Regina didn't move. She couldn't.

Standing still, like a marble statue being observes, critiqued, Regina swallowed the sudden rise of bile she felt build within her. Shifting on her feet, glancing around at the too-interested and too-judgemental patron's of Granny's Diner, Regina turned and wrenched the door open, striding through and leaving to slam shut of it's own accord.

_"How did you get like this?"_

How indeed.

**A/N: Leave a review, or don't. No biggie. Updates will be given on my Tumblr account: regalcharming. If anyone wants them, they should be there. And if you'd like to give me any prompts, you can give them to me there as well. That's about it.**


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